On Wednesday, 23 July 2025, Nexa hosted a live X Spaces session with OSL Pay. We had the opportunity to meet them in Monte Carlo, Monaco, during the WAIB Summit 2025. Our Core Developer, Andrea Suisani, joined Zain Ali on a panel titled “Crypto for the Masses: What’s Fueling the Next Billion Users?” where both offered standout insights.
OSL Pay is a gateway for crypto on- and off-ramps, and part of OSL (HKEX: 863), a regulated digital asset pioneer that bridges traditional finance and crypto, delivering trusted and compliant crypto payment solutions.
This panel, a month later, extended the conversation. Nexa President Andrew Clifford joined the Spaces with his expertise and professional insights on why only blockchain alone isn’t enough for the next billion users. Frankly, the whole ecosystem is needed, supporting the network, onboarding DeFi, enabling easy accessibility, and driving broader adoption.
The panel was moderated by Nexa Marketing Manager, Don Alucard. That being said, let’s jump into the session below:
The Next Billion Crypto Users: Where Are They Coming From?
Zain Ali from OSL Pay kicked off the discussion by pointing to a key source of future adoption: the unbanked and underbanked populations in regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America. While many focus on institutions, Zain emphasized that the real growth lies in communities already using stablecoins to trade, pay, and live, even without traditional banking.
Nexa’s core developer, Andrea Suisani, echoed this, stressing that if we want to reach billions, we must build for people who simply need better tools to transact in daily life.
Nexa’s President, Andrew Clifford, added a broader perspective: while empowering the unbanked is essential, the vast majority of the world’s wealth remains with those who already have access to traditional banking. For real traction, adoption must occur across both segments, the financially excluded and the financially integrated.
On/Off Ramps: Why They’re Essential
When asked what blockchain alone can’t deliver, Zain made it clear: fiat on- and off-ramps are the access points that make crypto usable. OSL Pay provides these through both institutional OTC services and API-based retail integrations. In other words, they bridge the gap between TradFi and DeFi.
Andrea built on that: off-ramps and payment processors aren’t optional, they’re foundational. Without them, crypto risks staying stuck in speculation rather than evolving into a true medium of exchange.
Scaling Up: Can We Handle What’s Coming?
Andrea took a deep dive into the importance of scalability. As he pointed out, we’ve already seen what happens when blockchains aren’t ready for mass use: high fees, slow confirmations, and lost momentum. Nexa is actively addressing these issues through innovations like Tailstorm, double-spend proofs, and hardware acceleration.
Andrew Clifford reminded listeners that Bitcoin’s early limitations in scalability and high decimal pricing discouraged retailers and confused users. Nexa, in contrast, simplifies things with standard two-decimal formatting and a high-throughput network, key features for real-world usage.
The Infrastructure Bottleneck
So what’s still holding us back?
Andrew didn’t pull punches: governments and banks are the main bottlenecks. Crypto challenges fiat control and centralized financial systems. Most governments aren’t ready to let go of that control, and neither are banks.
Zain, from a more traditional finance perspective, agreed. In his view, crypto adoption will only go mainstream when banks embrace it, whether through partnerships, custodial services, or native integrations.
Is Crypto Still Too Technical?
Zain shared a personal story, trying to explain Bitcoin to his father in 2015. The idea of losing everything by misplacing a phone didn’t go over well. Fast forward, and the same challenge remains: crypto is still too complex for most people.
Andrea went deeper, pointing out that the issue isn’t just technical, it’s philosophical. Most people don’t even understand what money is, which makes understanding crypto even harder. We need education, yes, but also better UX and tools that let people choose how deeply they want to be involved.
Andrew added a smart take here: even many crypto natives still leave assets on exchanges because self-custody feels risky. For mass adoption, the experience must be simple, perhaps even biometric or embedded, as seen in futuristic examples like the film In Time.
Centralization vs. Decentralization: Finding the Balance
One recurring theme: balance.
Zain made the case for a hybrid model: use centralized exchanges and regulated custodians for convenience, while still preserving decentralized networks underneath. Andrew agreed, what matters is keeping the network decentralized. Custodial services don’t inherently threaten that.
As long as users have the choice, crypto remains powerful.
Regional Differences, Global Impact
From Africa’s banking gaps to Latin America’s inflation crises, panelists agreed: regional needs shape product priorities.
Andrea highlighted the need to be “ready” when adoption spikes, whether in Chile or Burkina Faso. Nexa is laser-focused on scaling to support those real-world bursts of demand.
Andrew emphasized localization: supporting native wallets, multi-language sites, and UX tailored to regional norms.
If You Could Fix One Thing…
To wrap up, Don asked the panelists: If you could fix just one thing to help onboard the next billion users, what would it be?
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Zain: Get traditional banks on board. Crypto becomes more accessible and trusted.
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Andrew: Global resistance to Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). They’re a danger to true decentralization.
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Andrea: Be ready. Whatever kicks off mass adoption, we need the network to handle it.
Final Thoughts
This session gave us a wide-ranging yet focused look at what’s really driving crypto adoption, and what still holds it back. Whether you’re a builder, investor, or curious newcomer, one thing is clear: crypto is evolving, and Nexa is working to make sure it evolves in the right direction. Stay tuned for the next one!